- The federal high court has ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Edo state is invalid.
- The PDP’s primary, according to Justice Inyang Ekwo, did not adhere to the party’s constitution or the rules of the Electoral Act of 2022.
- According to the judge, the PDP’s exhibits demonstrated that the returning officers didn’t actually sit down to decide the primary election’s conclusion.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Edo state has been declared void by the federal high court located in Abuja.
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, the PDP held their governorship primary, producing Asue Ighodalo, a former chairman of Sterling Bank.
AIT News reports that on Thursday, July 4, the election was declared void by the court.
According to Justice Inyang Ekwo, the PDP’s primary on February 22 did not adhere to the guidelines set forth in the Electoral Act of 2022. According to The Nation, the judge declared that there was insufficient evidence in the party’s submitted Exhibit PDP 1. Ekwo continued, “The plaintiffs established their case against the defendants through the exhibits tendered.” The judge concluded from the PDP’s exhibit that the returning officials who created the result sheets had simply sat down to fabricate the poll’s outcome.
According to Justice Ekwo, it was illegal to exclude the 381 delegates, which included the plaintiffs. On behalf of the 378 other disgruntled ad hoc delegates, three of them filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The PDP filed the lawsuit on February 8 under the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/165/2024, dated February 7.
The 381 delegates from 12 local government districts and 127 wards were reported to be supporters of the deposed deputy governor, Philip Shaibu.
